Jellicoe Road

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

• Why I picked it up: Rave reviews + cool cover
• Disclosure: Borrowed from library (was not reimbursed in any way by author or publisher)

"What do you want from me?" he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More.
Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.
In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.

 This is the kind of book I want to point out to people who say that young adult literature isn't *real* literature.  The kind of people Maggie Stiefvater wrote an awesome, awesome rant against in this post here.  This book made me laugh, cry, and wonder all at once.  Seriously.  It blew my freaking mind.  I can count on two hands the number of YA books that have done that to me, and even including adult books, that list wouldn't expand that much.

Funnily enough, though, it took me forever to get into it.  The first half is slow and a little confusing, especially the stories of the five kids in italics.  But even if I lost the plot a bit, the characters captured my attention from page one, and I found myself really caring about what happened to them.  I confess to engaging in my bad "skimming" habit once or twice - picking a page towards the end at random, reading a sentence, picking another page, etc., etc. - just to see if something really exciting was going to happen, but once I hit about halfway through, I realized that it wasn't a book of big happenings, more of small, emotional battles.  And honestly, the book is better for it - we already have more than enough *action* books around, and not nearly as many books exploring the questions that this book did.

The thing about this book that was the most beautiful to me was its exploration of the many sides of love.  It somehow managed to prove that a romance does NOT have to involve a supernatural being to be very, very pulse-pounding, as well as show that romantic love is not the only kind.  Jonah and Taylor, Taylor and Hannah, Hannah and Jude; Tate and Webb, Tate and Hannah, Tate and Taylor...I could go on and on and on with the examples of love in this book, all complicated, all heartbreaking, all true to life without being so true that they're tough to read.

A last, superficial thing about this book that was difficult to get through was the teenaged Australian slang and culture, which I am sadly very ignorant of, but that's obviously not a reflection on the story.  Besides my own ignorance, Melina Marchetta's writing is breathtaking and her dialogue is spot-on.  And this review is starting to sound all discombobulated, because it was just that good!  This is the kind of book that stays on my bedside table (until I have to return it to the library, of course), because reading it makes me feel better.  It's definitely one I'll buy, at least sometime when my book budget isn't completely busted.  I know I've recommended an awful lot of books lately, but if you listen to no other review other than this one (and of course, The Book Thief), I'll be happy!

The Final Verdict: The kind of book that becomes an instant classic.  Multilayered and occasionally difficult to understand, this book could (and probably will!) make your year!  Five out of five stars.

Supernatural Romance - Does Lust really equal Love?

Once again we have a blogosphere that I feel the need to put my two cents in on: Romance, especially paranormal romance, in YA, even more especially, the idea of a "lust-mance" versus true romance.  If you'd like to read what inspired me to write this post, check out this post from In Which a Girl Reads, as well as this post (ironically) from A Romantic Enters the World.  Both are pretty scathing (but, in my opinion, justified) in their criticisms of 98% of paranormal YA romance.  I haven't seen any blogger opinions from the opposite side of the debate just yet, so if you have, let me know and leave the link in a comment, please!

And my two cents are...lust most definitely does not equal love.  I could spend paragraphs bashing Twilight for this, because I think that is absolutely the epitome of a lust-mance.  I'll try not to use Twilight for any more examples, though, because I feel that that was Stephenie Meyer's honest mistake as a new writer, and that if it's anyone's fault, it's her publisher's/editor's, and even if it's their fault, I don't feel like I'm in a position to criticize a series that's made millions and millions of dollars and gotten millions and millions of people to read, even if I feel that most of what they're reading is not necessarily what I *think* they should be reading.

I feel that lust is an entirely different emotion from love, and that if you get the two confused, you're in trouble.  But when you're a teenager, it's VERY easy to get them confused.  This is why I liked The Secret Year - an at least semi-realistic portrayal of lust vs. love, Julia vs. Syd and Kirby.  This is also why I feel that reading a supernatural romance that confuses the two as a teen, especially a younger teen, isn't good for anyone involved.  If you spend hours reading about Edward's flawless face (oops, Twilight example again, but bear with me), you start to equate that with Bella's obsessive devotion, despite Meyer's half-hearted attempts to convince everyone that Bella would have loved Edward even if he wasn't rich or gorgeous.

Something I've noticed about these lust-mances is that all of the ones I've read (besides maybe City of Bones, if that counts, which I don't think it does 100%) try to tell you that sex is sacred, it's important to love someone because of who they are inside, etc., etc.  This bothers me, because it's so clearly hypocrisy.  Think back on Dimitri in the Vampire Academy novels - did you read anything in those that indicated that Rose felt much more for Dimitri besides just lust?  Yes, Richelle Mead told us she did, but telling is very different than showing, and we can tell the difference, even if only subconsciously. 

It drives me nuts when I walk into the YA section of Target or Wal-Mart or wherever else and the only "bestselling" books they have are paranormal romance, and not even the good stuff!  The Good Stuff being writing that SHOWS, not TELLS.  In my opinion, Beautiful Creatures and Shiver fell into this category, more or less; feel free to disagree with me.

But now I'll get off my soapbox for a minute.  Unfortunately, I really, truly enjoyed Twilight the first 5 times I read it.  I also enjoyed Vampire Academy.  I don't feel I was taken in by the messages, and yeah, I felt the writing was not good, but I enjoyed them.  Which is what reading is about for most people: enjoyment, not the broadening of horizons and vocabularies or all the other things that reading can be.  So if I enjoyed these books, why am I criticizing them?

Good question.  I don't have the right to tell you what to read, obviously, and I certainly don't have the right to judge you because of what you read.  If you're out to read for enjoyment, and these are the kind of books you enjoy, go for it.  I'm glad I'm writing this post, anyway, though, because I also enjoyed The Book Thief, Jellicoe Road, Madapple, Freaky Green Eyes, and dozens of other books that I feel represented many sides of love and lust as separate emotions.  Even the love wasn't always romantic.  I feel that these books are just as readable and just as enjoyable, and that if enough readers agree with me, then perhaps we can enjoy more diversity in the YA bestsellers section.

City of Secrets

City of Secrets (Stravaganza Book 4) by Mary Hoffman
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

• Why I picked it up: I love the rest of the series!
• Disclosure: Borrowed it from the library (not reimbursed in any way by author or publisher)

Set in Talia, a parallel-world version of Italy, this series combines Renaissance court intrigue with time travel, subterfuge, romance, and revenge. Matt is a painfully dyslexic and insecure boy who has just discovered that he is a Stravagante--someone capable of traveling between two worlds. 

Ugh.  After picking up five exciting books from the library, this was the one I got around to first, because City of Flowers (its immediate predecessor) ended so suspensefully.  If City of Flowers was something of a disappointment compared to City of Masks and City of Stars (which remain some of my favorite books of all time, especially Masks!), then City of Secrets was a mega-disappointment.

I could spend thousands of words criticizing this book: The writing didn't flow, characters weren't developed very well, Hoffman didn't spend any time exploring the city of Padavia (a.k.a. this world's Padua)...you get the picture.  The no-exploration thing probably got my goat the most, because having never been to Italy, these books are kind of like a free, exciting plane ticket.  But this one spent way too much time on Matt's insecurities (Ayesha, anyone?  Yuck!)

Another problem I had with it was my long-abiding love of Lucien Mulholland.  I adore Lucien Mulholland.  Or Luciano, or whatever the heck you call him.  Ditto for Arianna.  So even in City of Stars I was a little disappointed that she started introducing new characters with Georgia and Alice, and in City of Flowers, even more so with Sky and Falco.  They took time away from the characters I really enjoyed hearing about, even though all four had grown on me by the end of their respective novels.  With the intro of Matt and Ayesha, though, it just started getting ridiculous and watered-down.  Pretty much very page Luciano and Arianna weren't on was ridiculously boring.

Last complaint?  Luciano and Arianna, WOULD YOU TWO JUST GET MARRIED, ALREADY?  Sheesh.  I was really crossing my fingers in this one for a big, fancy, old-school Bellezzan party with lots of Duchessa excess, but unfortunately, it just wasn't so.  I will continue to cross my fingers and pray that I'll get my wish in a sequel, but if Mary Hoffman introduces yet another Stravagante with annoying problems I DON'T CARE ABOUT, I will scream.  Watch me.

The Final Verdict: Nowhere near as good as the rest of the series.  It felt watered-down and poorly thought out, and I sincerely hope Mary Hoffman can salvage the series from this mess for one last sequel to tie up loose ends.  Two and a half out of five stars.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Why I picked it up: I received it as a birthday present from not one but two people, and have spent all year hearing rave reviews about it
Disclosure: Birthday present (was not reimbursed in any way by publisher or author)
Associate Links: Amazon/IndieBound

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

Oh.  My.  God.  Words fail when it comes to describing this book.  I can't say I wasn't expecting that part of it - I'm a sucker for WWII cry-your-eyes-out kind of books - but the way this book took my breath away was enough to take my breath away a second time.  More than anything else, it's a story about childhood, not a story about battles or mass murder or tragedy, and that's what makes it different from anything else out there.

"Put this on the shelf next to The Diary of Anne Frank," I've heard some reviews say.  That's sort of true, as far as one, how good it is, and two, its ability to make you cry until you could be wrung out, but I think they're missing the point in lumping the two together.  I think Anne Frank might have been a little disappointed at how few people seem willing to make the jump beyond her own tragedy into the tragedy of the entire war.  The subtitle, after all, is Diary of a Young Girl, and that's what The Book Thief reads like - a diary.  Only it's Death's diary, about a young girl.  And when you're a young girl, you don't much care if you're German or Dutch or Jewish or Catholic.

That was another thing I liked about the story, beyond the brilliance of the writing or anything else - how it humanized ordinary Germans.  I am disgusted by what the Nazis did as much as the next person is, but not all Germans were Nazis - and many, many Germans did valiant, dangerous things to defend their principles.  The Book Thief throws those things into sharp, heartrending relief.

And I hope I haven't neglected to mention that the writing was beyond, beyond, BEYOND belief.  I mean, Death as a narrator?  Had most authors tried it, it would have come across as unbelievably hokey.  In Markus Zusak's hands, it's a beautiful thing, and I can't imagine the story being told any other way.  There's been a lot of talk of unreliable narrators in the writing world, lately, and in my opinion, this is the real deal.

One of the best books I have read all year; probably one of the best books I have read in my entire life.  (I've probably read thousands of books, so don't take that lightly.)  Just read it!

The Final Verdict: Beautiful, heartbreaking, tortuous, intensely readable.  Must be read to be believed!  Five out of five stars.

Library Loot Post-Game #1, or what I actually walked away with

My excursion to the library today was extremely fruitful, despite the fact that I found none of the books I'd actually hoped to find.  To be honest, I didn't look too hard - my backpack filled up quickly enough, anyway!

Stravaganza: City of Secrets by Mary Hoffman (Book 4 of the Stravaganza Series): This one's been on my wishlist for awhile.  I actually finished it on the car ride home from the library, and found it a lot weaker than the rest of the series.  Disappointing.  But do check out the rest of the series, especially the first two.

Set in Talia, a parallel-world version of Italy, this series combines Renaissance court intrigue with time travel, subterfuge, romance, and revenge. Matt is a painfully dyslexic and insecure boy who has just discovered that he is a Stravagante--someone capable of traveling between two worlds.

 Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta: I've heard only fantastic things about this novel so far, so I'm excited to read it:

"What do you want from me?" he asks. What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him. More.
Abandoned by her mother on Jellicoe Road when she was eleven, Taylor Markham, now seventeen, is finally being confronted with her past. But as the reluctant leader of her boarding school dorm, there isn't a lot of time for introspection. And while Hannah, the closest adult Taylor has to family, has disappeared, Jonah Griggs is back in town, moody stares and all.
In this absorbing story by Melina Marchetta, nothing is as it seems and every clue leads to more questions as Taylor tries to work out the connection between her mother dumping her, Hannah finding her then and her sudden departure now, a mysterious stranger who once whispered something in her ear, a boy in her dreams, five kids who lived on Jellicoe Road eighteen years ago, and the maddening and magnetic Jonah Griggs, who knows her better than she thinks he does. If Taylor can put together the pieces of her past, she might just be able to change her future.

Night Runner by Max Turner: This book's always intrigued me, and I've almost bought it twice, so I look forward to finally reading it:

For Zack Thomson, life in the Nicholls Ward wasn't so bad. After his parents died, he developed strange allergies, and the mental institution was the only place where he could be properly looked after. As strange as it was, it was home. But that all changes the night a stranger on a Harley crashes through the front doors and tells him to run. Along with his best friend Charlie and a girl he may or may not be falling in love with, Zack does just that: run. Under the cover of night, hiding amongst the shadows, he races for the truth. 

 Gifts by Ursula K. Le Guin: Everybody tells me I'm going to love Ursula K. Le Guin.  I've never actually read anything by Ursula K. Le Guin.  Deciding to remedy this problem, I checked this one out:

When a young man in the Uplands blinds himself rather than use his gift of "unmaking"--a violent talent shared by members of his family--he upsets the precarious balance of power among rival, feuding families, each of which has a strange and deadly talent of its own.

Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix: As for this one, I just needed to wash the bad taste of Palace of Mirrors out of my mouth, so I thought I'd try one of her more science fiction novels.  I love any science fiction involving an immortality concept, so I hope I'll like it:

In the year 2000 Melly and Anny Beth had reached the peak of old age and were ready to die. But when offered the chance to be young again by participating in a top-secret experiment called Project Turnabout, they agreed. Miraculously, the experiment worked -- Melly and Anny Beth were actually growing younger every year. But when they learned that the final treatment would be deadly, they ran for their lives.Now it is 2085. Melly and Anny Beth are teenagers. They have no idea what will happen when they hit age zero, but they do know they will soon be too young to take care of themselves. They need to find someone to help them before time runs out, once and for all....

Author Appreciation Week

I'm not even going to try to do these in order, because I love all of you authors so very, very much, but I will divide them by adult vs. YA for you:

Adult

Barbara Kingsolver: There are no words for the incredible genius that is Barbara Kingsolver.  Wow.  Not even sure where to start with this one, but The Poisonwood Bible was un-freaking-believable.  Not to mention Animal Dreams, which is not as well written, but I like the characters slightly better.

Stephen King: Whatever you have to say about his writing, it's hard to deny that it's entertaining.  The six or seven hours it took me to read The Stand I would not take back in a million years.  The Green Mile made me cry and Misery scared the living daylights out of me.  I've also enjoyed the movie adaptations (and plan to enjoy the books) of Carrie and The Shining, though they induced similar reactions of complete and utter terror.  What more can you ask of a writer?

Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale might be the most haunting and disturbing book I have ever read.  Enough said.

Octavia Butler: Because she has the most grim and fantastic imagination of any science fiction writer I know.  Wow.  I adore Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents, and Wild Seed is on my bedside table right now.  I can't wait to read it.

Orson Scott Card: See Octavia Butler, but not quite so grim.  Ender's Game was beautiful.  So is everything else by him, as far as I'm concerned.

Young Adult

Suzanne Collins: Anyone else here think that her Underland Chronicles were as good than The Hunger Games?  Not as readable obviously, but still.  Either way, I love Suzanne Collins.  I also love the fact that she was one of the geniuses behind Clifford's Puppy Days.  Versatility is a virtue, people.

Scott Westerfeld:  No author can make me laugh the way Scott Westerfeld can.  I mean, he doesn't wrap up his ideas as well as he starts them, but hey, I don't care.  And I still haven't even read Uglies!  Argh!

Karen Hesse: Maybe more middle grade than YA, and she certainly has her critics, but The Music of Dolphins was the first book to ever make me cry.  Repeatedly.  And certainly inspired a lot of my writing career.  I didn't like Witness quite as much - I don't feel she did very well with the verse style - but loved Phoenix Rising.  I also have a nuclear fallout fetish, though, so that might have had something to do with it.

Philip Pullman:  His Dark Materials was not only the *first* steampunk series I ever read, it was also one of the first series with science fiction elements that I actually enjoyed.  All three can still literally take my breath away.  I haven't started on the Sally Lockhart series yet, but I've heard they're just as good.

Cornelia Funke:  Inkheart made me want to be a writer.  So did everything else she ever wrote!

And I'm sure there's a lot more that I've missed, but those are the ones that come to mind.  :-)  And a huge round of applause and appreciation for ALL authors, for being so willing to give us a peek into their brilliant minds through their words!